


Hardly Perfect

by frivilousthoughts



Series: Hardly Perfect [1]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Epilogue, F/M, Will add more characters later - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-24 00:17:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6134995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frivilousthoughts/pseuds/frivilousthoughts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So this is right after the events at Kirkwall. The adventures of Hawke and Anders. I deeply enjoyed writing this and I hope you like it just as much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hardly Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> btw I gave Hawke the first name of Brieses just so you know :) Please enjoy :) I'd love to hear your comments below

The hole on the sky was a surprise for Hawke. Never in her life had she expected the Heavens to tear at the seams. Demons fell like raindrops. Two years of chaotic peace was over. _ Was it her fault?  _ Some mornings, Hawke thought so. It was hard not to see the suffering, to wake up to the screams. 

So many lost souls. This new destruction had no mercy. Templers stuck down upon those they once swore to protect. And the mages...Hawke felt she did the best. But had she? 

“Brieses?” Ander’s voice rang out from the darkness of her closed eyes. “Are you awake, love?” They had been riding horseback for hours now and she must have been drifting. 

“Yes.” She responded wrapping her arms around his waist to secure herself. “Is everything alright?” 

He nodded and soften to her reaffirming touch. “I just wanted to check on you...you were being very quiet.” Life was different now for the two of them. Bound together, being each’s one companion, Hawke had becoming a bit more talkative. No longer could she just politely eavesdrop, it was now her turn to contribute. Secretly, she enjoyed having Anders to talk to alone. She told him everything. Her thoughts, fears, dreams, and revelations. Not only was he a wonderful listener (in  _ her  _ opinion), but he provided conversation as well. To Anders, this new life made their relationship more intimate. He loved talking with her and when there was an absence of her voice, he grew uneasy. 

“Yeah...I was just contemplating.” She rested her head along his back and faced the world. How blurred it looked when traveling even at a simple speed. “When will the Fade stop converging with ours?” 

He frowned carefully formulating his answer. “I don’t know. But it’s no coincidence that this is occurring while we’re here. We must be the ones to stop it.” 

“Do we know how?” she retorted, “I will risk my life to save this world, but where do we start?” Her fear was obvious mingling ever so slightly with her words. In Kirkwall, it was very simple to figure out what to do. If there is a threat to the city cut it down. Do what is right. Take the wrong away and begin anew. Yet when the wrong is everywhere and unending what can be done?    

“We can do it. We’ve achieved so much so far. You just need a bit more faith.”  _ Faith.  _ His word echoed in her mind. Didn’t she have that? Faith in success? Why is she doubting? What is she doubting? Was she really afraid of the monsters leaking in?

No. She had fought them many a times before. Hawke was a warrior, she had courage on the battlefield. The song of swords was simple and one she knew well. It would be incorrect to say she liked combat, but she understood it. What she was placed in now was not battle, this turmoil lacked everything she comprehended. There was no structure.

“You’ve gone quiet again..” Anders spoke gently. He ached to be able to look at her: to do anything to make her feel at ease. He wanted to hold her, whisper his love. He longed for her smile which had disappeared since the day the sky erupted. He would die for her a thousand times if he had to. 

_ ‘Liar,’  _ Justice interrupted.  _ ‘I would never let you die-I’d kill her first.’   _ Anders shuttered at this threat. If Justice could ever fully take control, it would end badly for Brieses. The spirit hated her and Anders’ “obsession” with her. ‘ _ Love constitutes mercy so do not think I am reacting irrationally. I am merely trying to fulfill my end of our deal.’   _ Justice stated. Justice seemed to take pleasure in being brutal. Spirits simply did what was asked; nothing more, nothing less. His polarized nature bothered Anders from the moment of their intervention. He told Anders what he needed to do if he wanted justice.

_ I would die without her,  _ he thought,  _ you know it is far too late she is as much apart of my life as you are...maybe more.  _ Justice growled, but did not reply. 

“I’m sorry,” she muttered grabbing his attention. She was so exhausted because they had been running to the last two day straight. One too many templars had spotted them at an inn. If they ran for long enough the men would give up. This situation happened quite often for the duo, but this was the first time the templars were hell bent for killing Anders. 

When they had reached the edge of town, the soldiers continued to follow them.  _ Odd _ . The men screamed foul words and expertly stayed on their trail for the first day and night. Anders and Hawke never stopped though. Hearts thumping faster than their horse, they fled. As the sun rose the second day, the men were no longer in sight. But had they really stopped? Was this a trick? Anders felt uncertain so he just kept going. 

“You can sleep love,” he smiled sadly.  _ Of course she was falling asleep. She had been keeping an eye out for him.  _ He was distressing over her silence for nothing.

“No...” she weakly groaned back, “We’re in this together.” 

“I know we are and that why you should sleep.” she needed to rest even if he couldn’t. She hardly slept on a regular occasion, but being up for two days really ravished her body. 

“What if-”

“Shh..how about you just close your eyes for a couple of minutes? No harm done.” he slowed down, allowing the horse even a minute of respite. She grunted, but began to rearrange herself to be more comfortable. Slouching against him, it took maybe five minutes before her breathing leveled out. She dreamed of the days following the mass hysteria at Kirkwall.

*****

“So are we going to just go to the next abandoned cave or you plan on checking into the Blooming Rose?” Varric teased the rundown warriors. 

“We’re traitors.” Bethany remarked, glaring at him. “Does that mean nothing to you?” 

“Calm down sunshine...just trying to ease everyone’s minds here.” Funny enough they ended up spending the night in the Bone Pit. Even after Hawke had taken out the dragons, people were still terrified of the place. Awkwardness filled the silence as Anders tended to the wounded. 

Hawke had felt the brunt of Meredith wraith. She had thrown herself before all of her companions, earning the complementary slices from The Bringer of Madness. Though she had been healed throughout the fight, abrasions covered most of her body. Varric also had been injured severely. Due to the nature of his attire, much of his wounds covered his chest. One said swipe went down diagonally from his collarbone to his lower stomach. 

“This shall make a great story huh Hawke? How many dwarven maidens do you think will throw themselves at my feet?” he would forever insist that the wound would make a beautiful scar. 

Aveline frowned at his words, “In this story are you planning on including how Anders single handedly killed innocent people? Blew up a holy place within a matter of seconds?” Everyone froze.  _ Why had she wanted to bring that up? _

“Aveline please..” Hawke stared at her benevolently, “There is no need for that.” 

“Do know how many innocent mages died because of the Chantry?” Anders began. A fire was about to break out and all Hawke could do is watch it burn. 

“Mages? I don’t care about the mages, I care about all those citizens you took it upon yourself to murder! Have you thought at all about them? Or do you only care about  _ your people _ ?” She stood and quickly went towards him.  

He followed suit pulling out his staff. “I care about what needed to be done. If you don’t understand that that’s fine, but there’s nothing to be done. No need to continue to shout my crime to the Maker.” 

“You deserve punishment for your crime. I will not stand with a fugitive of the law.” The sound echoed, bouncing off rocks. 

Hawke sighed, “Aveline, you understand I can’t let you take Anders. If you wish not to stay with us that’s fine, but you will be taking no prisoners.” 

“How can you allow such a heinous being! This is wrong.” She glared around the group waiting for someone to agree with her. No one even moved. 

“Just go.” Hawke warned, “Let’s not shed anymore blood today especially not each others.” Silence and tension filled the space around them. The fire crackled rudely, babbling the sound of splintering wood. Aveline knew she  _ shouldn’t  _ fight Hawke yet to her this was all wrong. Anders was a terrorist in her eyes.

“How can you allow this?” 

_ Because I love him,  _ Hawke thought, but she knew that answer wouldn’t satisfy Aveline. Aveline was a factual person, unaffected by emotions. She needed logic to resolve things not abstract thoughts. “While I understand that what he did was not necessarily the best thing to do, something had to be done. Had the two gone in there murder would have ensued. Perhaps the Grand Cleric would have died anyway. Hadn’t the Chantry been denying the mages rights anyway? They were allowing a group of people to abuse another. Is that not wrong? So I allow him to be with us for many reasons, but the one you can’t disregard is that I believe what he did was right.” Anders’ face was a swirl of expressions. He felt everything at once.  _ Was she telling the truth? Was she trying to get Aveline to stay? What would happen? Did she really think he did the right thing?  _

“If you mean that Hawke then I must leave. You believe his cause...I do not nor will I ever. The Grand Cleric did not deserve the fate he delivered her.” Aveline turned and headed out of the cave. Not once did she look back at her old friends. She kept her shoulders stiff and rigid. She would never forgive Anders for what he did. Her mind was set and Hawke could see it clearly. Aveline was always be the Captain of the Guard first, Hawkes’ loyal companion second. 

*****

Anders finally slowed the horse to a stop. He was sore and a three days ride seemed good enough. There was no way that the men were still after them. Templars may be crazy, but not that crazy. Brieses was still sleeping and he attempted to get off without moving her that much. It took some time, but with a little help from magic he managed. Once he was on stable ground, he gently picked her up and carried her to a naturally forming lean to.  

The rock looked as if the Maker had scooped a handful of the side of it out. Moss spread over the top of it, slowly beginning to spill off the edge. Though it was located on a small hill, Anders felt as if they were tucked in the arms of giant. How nice it was to finally rest. He placed her gently on the ground giving her his cloak to use as a pillow. She mumbled a bit, stirring slightly, but not enough to fully wake up. He positioned himself beside her and placed his arms behind his head. It wasn’t the most comfortable position nevertheless it was better than sitting on a horse. Besides he wasn’t planning on sleeping, just keeping watch. 

Hours past and drowsiness layered itself upon Anders. His eyes grew heavier than steel armor. Somehow Brieses had nestled herself onto his chest and it reminded him of their nights in Kirkwall. She slept so peacefully that the thought of waking her broke his heart.  _ She was probably dreaming of the past,  _ Anders thought,  _ a simple past.  _ For a moment, their past enveloped him. 

He could feel the soft mattress, hear the snapping fire. The simple silence of Sandel walking downstairs. The house was at rest. When he closed his eyes it felt much more real. the backs of his hands could feel the velvet pillows. He could smell the fragile scent of Hawke's’ perfume wafting from her vanity.  _ This was home....his home.... _

Just as quickly as his nostalgia had come, sleep quickly followed suit. The pair slept, hopefully hidden from the monstrosity of the world.   


End file.
